|
October 2007
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Homekeeping Tip
October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween! I found this great idea on another blog and tried it myself because it was so easy and cute. Cut jack-o’-lantern or ghost faces from black electrical tape and adhere to glasses or clear plastic cups. Fill the ghost cup with milk, vanilla milkshake or ice cream and the jack-o’-lantern cups with orange juice, orange punch or orange Jell-O topped with a dollop of cool-whip tinted with green food coloring.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
Jane, I LOVE the costumes that you and Calvin wore. You guys look good. So
sad about the no talking but I'm glad you had a nap! Sometimes singles ward
is a sleeper. Did I just say that? Happy Halloween! I saw this idea on the same blog. Now who was it, I can't remember. They are so cute. But I'm not sure I'm ready to trust the kids with a glass that full of milk. Such a mean mom. Later down the road though.... =). Melanie
(Melanie, I'll bet you saw it on Berta's Blog but I didn't ask her if I could give out her link and she's on vacation...I gotta agree with you on the full glass of milk in a glass cup...wouldn't have happened at our house with kids the age of yours, either! Milkshake with a straw, maybe, oj or milk? "Nope, not gonna happen, wouldn't be prudent.")
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Happy Fall Y’All Giveaway
October 30, 2007
Shannon is hosting a fall giveaway blog carnival and here is your chance to win a pound box of delicious hand dipped Legacy Chocolates®. These chocolates are incredible. My favorite this week is Ingeborg, last week it was Betty Lou, but it’s really hard to beat a Hallie, Margaret Ann or Sarah Ann, too. Frankly, I like them all!
To enter, just e-mail me at jp@neighborjanepayne.com and put Fall Y’All in the subject line. I’ll draw the winner the afternoon of Tuesday, November 6th morning of Thursday, November 1st.
Legacy Chocolates
Two neighbors of mine, Brenda Goodrich and Nesha Roylance, combined their love of cooking and family to create "Legacy Chocolates". They affectionately named each variety after their mothers and grandmothers. The chocolates are delicious, handcrafted and hand-dipped. They are made from the freshest ingredients with no preservatives. They are truly "perfection in a confection." They’re available for purchase on-line as well.
Grace- Heavenly whipped divinity with chopped walnuts and dipped in white chocolate
Betty Lou- Cashew toffee dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with toasted coconut
Hallie- Creamy coconut center dipped in milk chocolate, with a 'comet tail' almond on top
Emma- Smooth vanilla fondant with broken walnuts and dipped in milk chocolate
Sarah Ann- Crushed butter toffee folded into milk chocolate and poured into foil cups
Elsie- Cool mint, white chocolate truffle covered in semi-sweet chocolate and dusted with crushed candy. Wrapped in shiny foil
Nonnie- Caramel made with pure cream dipped in milk chocolate and topped with chopped walnuts
Minnie- Milk chocolate truffle dipped in milk chocolate - melt in your mouth smoothness
Isabell- Semi-sweet chocolate truffle center dipped in milk chocolate with dark chocolate stripes
Celinda- Toffee squares dipped in milk chocolate - crunchy, buttery confection
Margaret Ann- Brown sugar fondant dipped in milk chocolate and sprinkled with chocolate vermicelli
Bonnie Bell- Caramel covered baby pecan halves enrobed in milk chocolate
Zelma Noreen- Hazelnut praline truffle in milk chocolate - delectable European elegance
Ingeborg- Creamy chocolate caramel poured over toasted almonds, cut into squares and dipped in smooth semi-sweet chocolate
Melinda- Buttery toffee with chopped walnuts dipped in semi-sweet chocolate - perfection with a tan
Anna- Zesty mandarin orange and white chocolate truffle enrobed in semi-sweet chocolate
Martha- A lemon truffle covered in semi-sweet chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate stripes
Daisa– A raspberry truffle covered in white chocolate and decorated with a dark chocolate stripe
__________________________________________________________________________________________
SPT—Trick or Treat
October 30, 2007
Saturday was the Singles’ Ward Halloween dance and this is Calvin and I. Calvin, with his Lion’s Club Governor of 1997 patch on his sport coat, did all the talking saying I had Alzheimer’s and “don’t talk much.” I tagged along behind with my big, black, silver-clasped purse and didn’t say one word, just nodded and occasionally waved, chewed my cud without dentures . . . and danced. Painful. The mask made my eyes burn and my cheeks and lip sweat, but worse was the feeling of being utterly rude not talking to people. The next morning one man told me, “Please don’t ever do that again (wear a mask where you can’t talk). I couldn’t tell if I made you angry, if you were bored with my stories, if I made you smile. Please don’t do that again, I felt stupid.”
One thing that was nice about the mask was that I was sooooo tired I fell asleep while sitting in a chair, but no one could tell and if they did, well, that’s what old people do.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
Jane – I love hearing about life in your world! I will think of you this weekend, as you jet-set about the country, and I diligently work on my baggies full of scrap book pages. Can’t wait to see you next weekend! -Heather
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Deb and me at the Mtn. River Retreat last year West Point Barracks
Life in My World
October 29, 2007
No more pretending. Fall is really here. I hugged summer as long as I could and tried not to let go, but it slipped away with the ice I scraped from the windows the last three or four mornings. It’s time for me to buckle down and get ready for November and December.
I’m organizing pictures and projects for our upcoming scrapbook retreat next week. I still laugh at the deal Deb Keeley got when she suggested we go partners on retreats. I didn’t know how to scrapbook, all I knew was how to cook for a crowd in a crock pot and to do dishes in a hotel bathtub (which have turned out to be necessary skills at some of our retreats). But, Deb took a gamble on me and we’ve had a fun four years worth of scrapbook retreats. Now I go with a project in mind. I can’t tell too much because they’re Christmas gifts, but one I can say (since she knows it’s somewhere in the making) is Ande’s ABC book. I have so few pictures and even fewer good quality pictures of the kids when they were little. So I take the pictures I do have and, using each letter in the alphabet, use adjectives that describe that child and use the pictures as evidence. For example: In Ty’s book I put a picture of him learning to walk, ride a bike and wrestle on a page and titled it Persistent. ABC books have saved my children from being pictureless waifs. Mind you young mothers, I didn’t have time or resources to do these books until they were grown, so don't get discouraged.
Another project I’m getting ready to do is a scrapbook of Calvinism’s. A year or so ago I noticed that Calvin uses the same 40 or so phrases over and over and over. Don’t ask why it took me 25 years to notice, but at least I did finally notice. (updated to add: The girls reminded me how I noticed. Cali and Ande were laughing about his sayings one day and Cali suggested they make a book of them for him. Ark! I thought the idea was such a good one I claimed it. Sorry girls. Oh and I also blew it because Calvin read the blog [I figured he’d skip this post]. Ark! Ark!) The kids and I have been jotting down his sayings for the past several months and I’ve found pictures to put with those sayings. I dasn’t tell you some of the phrases because I’m not sure if they’re made up words or swear words from other languages. If he never gets his history written at least his phrases will be recorded.
We’re also getting everything organized so we can fly to New York this weekend to watch Abe in the Army/Navy Sprint Football game at West Point. Yipppeeeee. There is something extraordinary about that place. Abe said Les Miserables is on Broadway for a short stint so we’ll try to get tickets to that and I want Calvin and the kids to see Sleepy Hollow (the town, not the movie) so we’ll try to fit that in as well.
In the way of other news, our laundry is half done, the ironing is not at all done, the cookie jar is empty and life is good and that is the life in my world.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ Quotable Quote
October 28, 2007
(picture courtesy of Rick Ruggles)
"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning
My family is great about saying “I love you.” I give the credit to Calvin as he’s always generous in saying that he loves us, several times a day in fact, and I never tire of hearing it. Here are a half dozen ways I’ve recently counted “I love you” from my family.
· Recently when Calvin went hunting and passed through my home town he brought me the local Sunday newspaper because he remembered how much I enjoyed it. Yesterday, knowing I had lots to do to prepare for the next two weekends, he mowed all the leaves and said, “You just do what you need to today.” His actions speak as loud as his words.
· Cali and I went out to dinner at the nicest restaurant in town and she surprised me by buying our dinner. We even had our very own desserts—crème brulee. I was not a cheap date and she graciously didn't care.
· Every e-mail that Abe sends says, “I love you” in it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a one-liner question, a paragraph telling us about his week or his third e-mail for the day, he always says “I love you” in it and I find great comfort that he never tires of telling me and look for those words each time.
· In the subject line of e-mails that Ty sends to me he types, “Buongiorno Princepessa” which means “Good morning, Princess” in Italian. He adopted it from one of our all-time favorite movies, “Life is Beautiful.” He reminds me how deep our attachments and memories are.
· Ande called me on the phone as she was walking to class and belted the song, “I just called to say ‘I love you’. I just called to show how much I care.” She didn’t stop with one line; she huffed and puffed the whole thing as she walked uphill while singing it. She didn’t once whisper it when people walked by either, she kept the volume up the whole way through it. I love that she isn't embarrassed of love.
Love is like air to me and “I love [my family] to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach” (Elizabeth Browning) and am oh so very grateful they return it.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
I can't believe she was so over due with #7. Poor, poor sis. Glad to hear he arrived safe and sound. It looks like she has wonderful helpers. I was 7 when my baby sister was born. Sadly, I don't remember it very well. I loved your "I love you because" post. Doug is so good about saying it as well. I think it's great your kids have also followed his example. Isn't it amazing how three words can snap a bad day into a good one in a matter of seconds? Glad you're back, we missed you! Jenny :)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
He’s Here!
October 27, 2008
Rachel had her baby this afternoon about 4:30. His name is Hyden Ulysses and he’s about 8 ½ pounds, but I forgot to ask how long he is. Bert said everything went smoothly and they’re both doing great. He asked if I’d notify the family and well . . . you all seem like family to me.
When I went down to California last week Jesse and Maddie already had a Halloween outfit picked out for him to wear—whew, just in time.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Abe and teammate
Fall Friday Football
October 26, 2007
Tonight we watched the West Point sprint* football team play Cornell on the internet. Abe was the quarterback and played a good game. Amazing. It’s a long story of determination and faith on how he came to be the starting quarterback, but it was incredible to sit on the couch two thousand miles away and watch him.
*Sprint football is for lightweight players—weight limit is 172 pounds.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
I loved this week's newsletter. I especially liked the closing line of you and baby ellsworth being kindred spirits -- late. I love you. cali
jane, what your son is the quarterback for Army? how did i miss all that? you humble gal you!l ove your newsletter and can't wait to hear of the new baby news. kristi
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Maddie waiting for the contractions to get closer
Rachel
October 24, 2007
What a great week. I just returned from being with my sister, Rachel, and her family. The excuse goal was to help her with baby number seven. How can I ever recap such a wonderful week? A list. A list can conquer anything:
· I sat on the plane by a most delightful elderly woman with the clearest blue eyes and breakfast still at the corner of her mouth which just endeared her to me more. Her husband was still practicing law at 86 and she, in her upper-upper 70's, was selling a multilevel marketing product and on her way home from a convention.
· I was greeted by signs of “Welcome Ant Jane” and supper at the Olive Garden. Rachel’s skinny little body was dwarfed by her belly. People stared whenever we went in public—Rachel was past the point of noticing, but I wasn’t. It was comical to catch them staring and give her a pitiable pity look.
· I slept in Jesse’s bed the entire time while she slept on a cot in the corner of the room. Every morning my bed was made by Jesse or Maddie—remarkable maid service.
· Rachel and Bert have a true home with an unequaled learning atmosphere—she has large braided rugs on the floor, beautiful art and quotes on the wall and several filled bookshelves. Their commitment to teaching their children is incredible. Their home is small—just a few bedrooms and one bathroom—but in that small space Rachel has organized and devoted an entire room to school, complete with a large table where everyone can sit, two computers, a large piano, books and more books, a learning center of filled bins as well as a “Hero Wall” where they have pictures and quotes of people they admire. The kitchen wall is covered in world and solar maps and the hall has a timeline of everything they're learning. Everything is orderly and at the kids’ disposal. Their home is an inspiration and truly a house of learning. I just enjoyed sitting in the school room and kitchen visiting with the kids—or playing a game with Pal who is six. He’s the best to play games with; he moves your man plus his and rolls every dice. All you have to do is sit next to him and say you’re playing—best way ever to play Snakes and Ladders.
· It was fun to be a part of the kids’ world—they’re funny and can laugh with you and at themselves. They showed me
—the horses they feed and the stalls they clean every day (Bert is a veterinarian)
—their 80+ year old neighbor’s large secret garden they help her tend along with her several acre orchard
—the lavender store they help at
—the tree house they built (complete with a hoist for the water bucket as well as a money box in the tree where they are collecting money for a telescope)
—gymnastics with the girls
—speech class with Pal (it’s going to be sad once he gets all of his consonants right—his words are quite charming with them all mixed up)
—Tai-Kwando for the boys (For you newsletter readers, remember the man that saved the bird that fell from the tree that Rachel wrote about a few weeks ago? I saw him, too. He was fascinating, I’m telling you. Fascinating)
· Rachel and I got lots and lots and lots of visiting done, but there was one thing we didn’t get done. We didn’t get the baby here. Rachel is STILL pregnant and past her due date. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….I don’t know who is more disappointed, Rachel or Maddie. Maddie is eight years old and has everything planned. I know just how she feels, I was eight when Rachel was born and oh, how I have loved being her sister.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments....and sympathies to Rachel..... to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
- I'm sorry that you had to come home already! (Are you home? Otherwise, I will be so embarrassed!) I feel so badly for Rachel that she had to lose her help already, and for you, not getting to have the big experience that you were hoping for. Sadness! Love, Susan
- NO BABY?!!! I feel so bad for Rachel. Baby #7 should never be over due. Never! I'm glad you were able to get all sorts of visiting done. I just wish it were some rocking too, sigh. You're a wonderful sister. Mel p.s. WELCOME HOME JANE!!!
- Jane, you've been missed. Glad your week was so enjoyable, even if no baby came. Your sister's home sounds wonderful. I hope to have a home full of learning too, and am inspired by hers. Oh, and one of my favourite books is The Secret Garden. I cannot express how much I wish I had an 80 year old neighbour with a secret garden I could go to and watch things grow. Love, Marie
- Dear Jane, Still here. Still being stared at.
 Love, Rachel
- Oh, Rachel -- I feel your pain! I was 15 days overdue with my first and thought I'd be pregnant forever. I am sure thinking of you! Jane, your blog is so wonderful. Quit making me want to adopt your family as my own. ;-) By the way -- Maddie is just beautiful, and sounds like she'll be an amazing big sister. Love, Susan W.
-
Oh my . . . I remember Rachel being in Richland in June and looking a bit uncomfortable then - I can only imagine her now. My best to Rachel and prayers for all as they continue to wait and then welcome Ellsworth (that is right, isn't it?). We missed your daily notes. You are such a great start to my day and I look forward to your blog entries again. WELCOME HOME. Michelle PS - only 2 weeks till Easton - yeepee!
-
Welcome home, Jane. I enjoyed reading your admiration for your sister. My baby sister is 10 years younger than me, so I feel for Maddie waiting for that baby! Love, Barb
-
Poor Rachel. I love hearing about your relationship, though. sisters are the best. Lucy
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Neighbors,
I’ll be gone for over a week to visit my sister, Rachel, in California to help her family while she has her seventh baby. I doubt I’ll have time to post on the blog for the same reason I haven’t been able to convince Rachel to start one.
Love,
Jane
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Just Because.....
?
Have you seen this?
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22535838-5012895,00.html?from=mostpop
It's quite fascinating. Click on the link and please tell me what you see.
I see her spinning clock-wise, but can also see her spinning counter-clockwise and sometimes she gets mixed up and goes both ways—back and forth, back and forth.
I wonder how accurate this is? Does anybody know? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
I don't know if that's right. I saw it turning clock-wise which would mean I use more of the right side of my brain...which we both know is incorrect. I'm definitely a left-brainer...why do you think I'm backwards? I love you. Abe
Mamma, WOW THAT WAS WEIRD!! I, of course, saw it clockwise and I'm right brained. What did you see? Me and my roommate Lindsey could not even figure out how it could go counter-clockwise. I love when you send me things like that. I love you. Ande
I saw it first going counter clockwise, then clockwise, then I closed my eyes and opened them and saw it counter clockwise again, but immediately turned back to clockwise. What does that mean? That I'm
out of my mind? Susan
Oh I love all this posting! The family picture of the 6 of you is priceless! I heard so much about being a mother at conference. It meant a lot to me to know that others feel the same way and that we must push on no matter what. They need us! And can I please adopt your mantra? I'm sure I'll need it at
least once a day. No wait, once an hour. =) Mel
Ok, as for the girl, at first I see her counterclockwise but if I stare long enough I can change her. For the most part (minus the math and science) I am left brained. I do not take risks very well and I am most definitely reality based. Who knows, I could be like Susan and be totally out of my mind. Maybe my brain just has no idea what side to use! Thanks, that was fun (Milo liked it too). Mel
OK, I am definitely left brained. She was always spinning counter clockwise unless I was reading the info about right and left brain then when I looked up at her, she was going clockwise for just a second then back to the same old counterclockwise but the left brained part is no surprise to me or anyone that knows me. Michelle Rogge
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Quotable Quote
October 14, 2007
Abe, Ande, me, Calvin, Cali, Ty
“Families mean work, but they are our great work—and we are not afraid of work.”
—Julie Beck
Every time I hear about the value of a family I am encouraged to work harder at creating a better family. I feel it a humbling (and sometimes overwhelming) assignment to have such impacting influence on other people’s lives, both directly through my family and indirectly through their efforts. It is daunting to know my efforts can have such influence for good or evil, but “I’m not afraid of work…I’m not afraid of work…I’m not afraid of work….I’m not afraid of work…” –I can chant that when I start to get stressed.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Cali, Trevor, Trent, Abe
...yes, yes, I know, Trevor is holding a b.b. gun.
He had been killing mice (or something similar)
in the barn or haystacks and wanted it in the picture.
Christmas Project
October 13, 2007
We have two children from Calvin’s previous marriage and we have few childhood pictures of them. It was long before the days of joint custody or even week-end visitations. While they were kids we only got them every summer for a few weeks.
Yesterday I made a scrapbook for Trent from all of his pictures. I did it in a 6” x 6” album and put the pictures under the topics of son, grandson, brother and cousin. I used the method of scrapbooking that I learned from a class last year. I am so pleased with his book! I love how a scrapbook records memories—memories the brain forgets. I love how a scrapbook can help a person feel good about himself. I love how a scrapbook can reconnect a person to those he loves. I love how a scrapbook can take a poor quality photo and make it something worthwhile to see. I love the impact that recording a life can have.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Happiness is . . .
Newsletter Snippet—Happy People’s Habits
October 12, 2007
The newsletter today is about happy people’s habits. Last year I did a whole month of blog posts entitled “Happiness is . . .” and recorded little things that I found joy in. I concluded that “Happiness is . . . everywhere.” I then made a “Happiness is . . .” journal where I put pictures and wrote little snippets. That journal/scrapbook is an ongoing project and is one of my favorite things to work on.
This week I noticed two little happy events to put in that journal:
1. In class we had a learning activity where the students had to stare at the details of a picture and then after putting the picture away, answer questions like “how many hands were visible in the picture” or “what was the name of the picture.” We did this with several pictures. One student got nineteen questions correct and received a Handi-Snak of breadsticks and peanut butter for her efforts. She graciously thanked me and then I started the movie that went with the subject matter we were discussing. Ten minutes later, after the movie, the student that had won the prize raised her hand and asked if she could share her breadsticks and peanut butter with the class. She had snapped each breadstick into two pieces so there would be enough. She wasn’t embarrassed that the pieces were small; she wasn’t embarrassed to be kind to her peers (she was sixteen—often synonymous with selfish—not six). Her self-confidence and ability to give have stuck with me this week. I know what I would have done, I would have been embarrassed and quickly put the breadsticks out of sight or given them to whoever asked for them. Happiness is . . . not being afraid to stand out in order to share.
2. I came home from class and Cali was excited. She had been outside photographing spiders. She doesn’t care for spiders, they even make her a bit squeamish, but she said, “They were just so beautiful and fascinating. I didn’t want to miss the chance of seeing something so interesting.” She went on to share details: “They’re huge now. They must be getting ready to lay eggs. I don’t know what else could make them so fat.” And, “One was as big as a silver dollar. He was disgusting. There was another just like him under a leaf and he was sucking the juice out of a squiggling worm. It was sickening, but so interesting.” Happiness is . . . not determined by what you’re doing, but why and how you’re doing it.
Are you a happy person? How would you complete the sentence “Happiness is . . .” ?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
Jane- I really enjoy these newsletters. I am very happy that my order was not properly received! LOLOL!! Dana :)
Goodmorning Mamma!!! I just wanted to tell you that I LOVED this weeksnewsletter. It was such a good one and so true to who you are...because you area happy person. I love you. Love, Ande
Jane – I am finding no happiness in that spider – YUCK! Thankfully, I’m finding much happiness in your outlook, which more than makes up for the spider ;-) Have a great weekend! –Heather
Jane, I think that I am a happy person, but I have never, and shall never, compete the sentence "Happiness is..." with spiders. Yes, they may be intersting, but they are creepy and DO NOT inspire happiness in this girl! Other than that, I loved your happiness post!
Marie
Interesting and thought-provoking newsletter this week, as always. It is an interesting thing to look at the human condition in that most people don't have a Happiness is approach rather an "I will be happy when . . ." approach. This life is so short and there is no reason to not be happy in the moment with where life finds you. Granted there are days and times that are harder to approach that way but nonetheless, it is where we are and we never know if "when" will ever get here as we don't know how long we have left to be happy so to be happy in the moment is something not to miss. I have learned to find my happiness in my family and in the happy little people I have been entrusted to raise. They so love having a Mommy around all of the time and I realize more and more how lucky I am to be able to go on filed trips, volunteer at schools, go to the park on a whim, bake cookies, decorate the house and all of those things that would come second if I were not able to be home with them. Thanks so much for inspiring me over the past year to find my happiness now and enjoy it! Always, Michelle
Hi Jane!
I saw your spider picture and had to share this. On Friday I was dropping my big girls off at a Primary activity at church, and there was this huge spider web stretched between the building and a bush. There was a really big orange and black spider in the middle of it. (It's making me feel a little creepy crawly just thinking about it!) Anyway, I wondered what Phoebe Quinn would think about it. She immediately recoiled, and looked at me with the most disturbed and disgusted look on her face, and she said,
"Spider. Yucky! Yucky!" So, I think it must be instinctive or something.
I'm glad your daughter found some happiness with them -- despite the yucky factor! Hope you are well! Kelly
Perfect newsletter! You're one of the happiest parts of my daily life -- your blog and newsletter both. Thank you for all that you do, Jane! Susan
__________________________________________________________________________________________
they weren't this bad, but still.....
Teaching Idea—Child Spinners and Humble Pie
October 11, 2007
My niece called last week to tell me about her little class of 3 year olds. She put a swivel computer chair in the center of the room and pictures of the things she wanted to teach in a big circle around the chair. She put one child in the chair (with his legs pointing straight) and gave the computer chair a mighty twirl. When the chair stopped they discussed the picture that the child’s legs pointed to. Oh how I wish I had a chair big enough to spin big people in—I would love this method of changing topics. She said the idea was borrowed, so if you loaned it, thank you.
I’m embarrassed. Our ditch rider stopped by a few days ago and asked if he could have some of our apples. Cali told him he was welcome to all of them. He came over last night with an 80 pound bag of big, nice potatoes for us and a friend to help him gather apples. Oh…I was mortified. Our apples are wormy. We’ve had a freeze and our apples are not only wormy, they’re disgusting. I just feel so utterly stupid, there is no way he got what he had hoped for. With 40 apple trees in our yard there is a reason I bought apples at the Farmer’s Market this fall. I’m berating myself for not being a better steward of those trees. Humbled.
Earlier in the week one of my students asked if he could organize a service project for Friday since we have no school on that day. I told him it was a great idea but didn’t think much of it—what kids are going to ask to do service on their day off? Yesterday he came up to me with a list of kids that want to do something and said, “We’re coming to your house to help you get ready for winter.” Oh…humbled again. Why is it so humbling to receive a gift like that when you’re hale and hearty and you just got potatoes for bum apples? I want to cry.
And one last thing, Ty called from Taiwan last night. His mission president and his wife and Ty all spoke on a speaker phone reassuring us that Ty had made it and that they would take good care of him for the next two years. Ty said it is beautiful there and that he's excited. I tried very hard not to let my voice crack when we talked, but just plain cried when I hung up the phone. Yesterday was one big slice of humble pie and since Calvin has gone hunting for the week it was an extra big piece.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
Mamma, Oh how embarrassing (about the apples), you're right. But that's ok! Really you don't have to talk to him ever or anything (that is how I console myself when I do stupid stuff here..."Oh well you'll never see them again, and if you do, they wont recognize you") the not recognizing part won’t work, but the never having to see them part does! Besides I bet they aren’t that bad. 80lbs of potatoes is a lot. That is really cool of your student to do a class service project and to come to our house! How sweet!! How kind and thoughtful, especially from an 18 year old boy. They really do love you. Love, Ande
Child spinners! My next FHE, for sure! Barb
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Homemaking Tip
October 10, 2007
Remember when I mentioned window washing earlier in the week? I don’t know why I always dread doing it because the effects are so seeable…and it is really pleasant being outside on a nice day. Today’s tip is a window washing tip.
I suppose everyone knows the tip for using newspapers to dry windows for a nice shine with no streaks, but the ink from the paper is messy and a nuisance. But, unprinted newsprint works wonderfully and leaves no ink which makes the task even better.
Newsprint roll ends are available at your local newspaper office and very inexpensive (I've gotten them from free to 25 cents a pound). Besides being great for washing windows, they’re useful for all kinds of projects—banners, gift wrapping paper, table coverings, paper mache projects, roller-box stories, school art projects, lay-down-and-trace-your-body-outline-then-label-the pieces science projects, etc. Think of newsprint as really long, inexpensive poster board and window washing towels.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
I have a roll that my kids draw on. I never thought of using it for the windows. That's the one reason I don't like using newspaper is the messy ink. Thanks for the idea.—Elizabeth
WHAT...NEWSPAPER?!! I have never heard of using newspaper, very interesting! I had to share my new found knowledge with my husband and here was the conversation that followed:
Me: "hey honey did you know you could wash the windows with NEWSPAPER?" (waiting for the confused look of, what newspaper?)
David: "Yeah, that is all I ever used growing up, it leaves no streaks and works so so well."
Me: "What you knew about this...?"
David: "I never used anything but newspaper until I moved out of the house, you should buy a paper and try it out."
Me: well who knew, I guess I was in the dark about this one!
Thanks for sharing, Tiffany
__________________________________________________________________________________________
SPT
October 9, 2007
Lelly’s Self-Portrait Tuesday was a challenge I could not meet. I have NO orange clothing—none. I even like to wear orange, but had no idea that there was no orange in my closet or drawers until the challenge.
I noticed a fluorescent orange cat spider yesterday while spraying off the house and sidewalk. I even put him in my hand (covered with plastic wrap) so that I could wear orange for an SPT, but the picture was too shaky—imagine that—no way, no how was there going to be a retake.
I also have an orange pumpkin cake in the microwave. Easiest recipe known to man—1 large can pumpkin + 1 yellow, white or spice cake mix. Mix well and bake in greased 9” x13” pan at 350 degrees for forty minutes. Serve with whipped topping. But a picture of me wearing a pumpkin cake smile was not even thinkable no matter how much I like that cake.
But then…but then….Marie (that same Marie that not only looks darling in orange, but dressed her kids in orange for a perfect pumpkin patch picture) sent me a package of good mail today. Like Rudolph saving Christmas, Marie saved SPT. She sent me a pair of ORANGE socks with a Happy Halloween note. Thank you Marie, thank you very much. Me, Marie and SPT.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
Jane, You are so welcome! I'm glad you got them so quickly. I thought they were so cute, and really, how much fun is it to dress up your feet? Lucky timing for the SPT too! Love, Marie
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Life in My World
October 8, 2007
Happy Columbus Day! I have three favorite Columbus stories--granted 1492 was a long time ago, but I think they're accurate.
- After several months of sailing and the threat of mutiny among his sailors—especially on the Pinta and Nina—the ships were going to turn back if land was not sighted soon. It is said Columbus went into his cabin and prayed mightily and within hours a small island was sighted and he named it San Salvador, meaning Holy Redeemer.
- Columbus’ journal entry: “From my first youth onward, I was a seaman and have so continued until this day . . . Wherever on the earth a ship has been, I have been. The Lord was well disposed to my desire, and He bestowed upon me courage and understanding; knowledge of seafaring. He gave me in abundance, of astrology as much as was needed, and of geometry and astronomy likewise. Further, He gave me joy and cunning in drawing maps and thereon cities, mountains, rivers, islands, and harbours, each one in its place. I have seen and truly I have studied all books—cosmographies, histories, chronicles, and philosophies, and other arts, for which our Lord unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my emprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed. But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me?” (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1930, pp.19-20)
- Columbus entered a tavern one day and came upon several men who were scoffing and belittling his achievements, saying, “Anyone could have done what you did.” Columbus picked up an egg and asked the men to make it stand upright on the table. Several attempted the task, but no one succeeded excusing themselves by saying, “It’s impossible!” Columbus took the egg, tapped it lightly on one end which slightly broke the shell, and sat the egg on end. He looked at the men and said, “Even something that is impossible is easy to do - once someone shows you how.” (Abeka fourth grade history book)
But stranger things have happened—we have a child that loves to clean. Cali has a few days off and asked if we could please Fall clean today. Can you imagine a child begging to clean house? I would much rather have celebrated Columbus Day with a scrapbook project or lunch out, but instead I washed windows (twelve of them if you’re counting, because I certainly did… “One down, eleven to go. Two down, ten to go…Eleven down, one to go.”) Cali washed walls in the living room and dining room and vacuumed. It does feel good tonight to have it all done. We still have one more bathroom to tile and a few rooms to paint, but we’ll get to that in a few weeks.
I have turned Ande’s room into a temporary workshop—I have Christmas projects galore started in there. It’s fun to walk away from them without having to clean up everything first. A little compensation for kids moving on in life, I suppose.
And that’s life in my world.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
Your blog is a little bit of inspiration for me to start my day. It's like receiving a devotional. Thank you. Lynn
I didn't think children started cleaning voluntarily until they had their own home! Nice surprise from Cali.
The Columbus quote about the impossible is a good one. I haven't ever studied this man, he's not someone we celebrate with a holiday in his honor here in Canada.
p.s. We do eat the same turkey dinner fare for Thanksgiving, however.
Barb
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Quotable Quote
October 7, 2007
“. . . be still and know that I am God.” D&C 101:16
Overwhelmed, fearful, anxious or panicked. These emotions usually bring me increased fretting, running around, hand-wringing, excessive talking—think chicken, a whole lot of cackling, feather fluffing and, with neck outstretched, running in a circle. But when I think of this verse immediately a sense of peace and the desire to be still enters. There is Someone in charge and it’s not me, thank heavens.
With their backs against the Red Sea and the mightiest empire’s army in front of them, over two million Israelites felt fear, overwhelmed, panicked. Moses told them, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.” (Exodus 14:13) He knew Someone more qualified than him was in charge and I imagine he thanked the heavens.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
The Message
October 6, 2007
The first weekends of April and October are General Conference. I really look forward to these two weekends. The talks that are given during General Conference are inspiring and I feel a spiritual renewal each time. The subjects of the talks that are given are varied—each speaker chooses his own. Today Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin spoke on the topic of Charity, the pure love of Christ. I didn’t hear too much of what he said, I was too busy watching what he said.
Elder Wirthlin is ninety years old and his body is starting to show the burdens of age. As he was speaking he began to tremble and shake uncontrollably. He struggled to deliver his message. Quietly, one of the other apostles (Elder Nelson) came and stood behind him and held Elder Wirthlin’s arm to steady and strengthen him, even prepared to catch him should he topple. Elder Wirthlin continued giving his talk and Elder Nelson’s hand stayed on Elder Wirthlin’s arm. I don’t remember the quotes from Elder Wirthlin’s talk, I remember only one of his scripture references, but I will never forget his message. The hand on his arm illustrated it plainly; Elder Wirthlin’s determination to finish his talk was the added emphasis. After he had finished speaking, he turned to Elder Nelson, the apostle who had strengthened him, and the microphone caught his quiet “Thank you.”
All three points—the hand on the arm, the determination to deliver the message he’d felt inspired to give and his amplified thank you—spoke so loud I did not hear everything he said, but I will never forget his message.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
Saturday's messages were incredible. But that moment, when Elder Wirthlin started to tremor and then Elder Nelson came to support him was so touching. I went to the morning session and their respect and love for each other, all of them, is so visible. It is inspiring to see leaders who are only interested in bearing each other's burdens and working together, rather than self-advancement, importance and backstabbing. I wish the world would watch them as great leaders in action and take notes! Lucy
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Holiday Recipe Exchange
October 5, 2007
Overwhelmed with Joy, is hosting her second annual holiday recipe exchange today. If you love reading recipes like I do, or if you’re a recipe collector, I think you’ll enjoy reading all of the participants’ posts today. I’m sharing a few of our favorite recipes.
Cali and Ty making “real” and “rolo” Turtles
One of our favorite holiday foods is Pecan or Almond Turtles. We’ve made them over 20 years. Last year we also discovered rolo turtles and white chocolate popcorn.
Real Turtles. To make real turtles, butter a cookie sheet lightly and arrange pecans or almonds in groups of three. Make caramel recipe and when cool, pour a teaspoon of caramel over each nut cluster. When the caramel has cooled and hardened, frost or dip with melted chocolate. Let set. Enjoy!
Caramel Recipe
2 cups light cream
2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
½ tsp. salt
½ cup butter (no substitutions)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
In a heavy saucepan, heat cream, sugar and corn syrup until boiling. Cook and stir over moderate heat for 5 minutes, then add butter and salt. Turn heat to low and boil gently, stirring often until the temperature on candy thermometer reads 232-234 degrees. Remove from heat and when cooled slightly, stir in vanilla. Cool ‘till warm to the touch and spoon over nuts.
Rolo Turtles*. To make turtles you need small pretzels, Rolo candies and pecan halves.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees and line a cookie sheet with foil.
- Lay pretzels out on cookie sheet and top each pretzel with a Rolo candy.
- Heat in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Top each softened Rolo with a pecan half and press gently (squish). You will never know a Rolo was underneath it.
- Put the pan in the fridge to re-harden the candy (15 minutes or so).
- Enjoy!
 
White Chocolate Popcorn*.
- Pop 1 ½ cups of popcorn kernels in your hot-air popper.
- Separate popped corn and unpopped kernels and divide into two large bowls.
- Melt 1 package (24 oz.) of vanilla almond bark in microwave (following directions).
- Pour over popcorn and stir gently until well coated.
- Pour out onto wax paper and let dry.
- Yum.
- Optional: add chopped candy canes or flavoring oils (raspberry, lemon, peppermint, etc) to almond bark after melting but before coating the popcorn. Add m&m’s, coconut, nuts or other candy pieces.
*Rolo recipe and white chocolate popcorn recipe and picture courtesy of Melanie Bushman __________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They're always appreciated.
I am hopping on a plane to come and get some of those yummies! Turtles are my all time favorite candy. Thanks for posting the recipe. I will have to try that. Jenny
Mom, I liked your newsletter today. I think you are the greatest. Love, Ande
Fun, fun newsletter. If I couldn't laugh at myself it would be a tough life. Hope everyone enjoys the soup.--Sue
Jane, I really enjoyed the newsletter today. Maxine
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Gift Idea—Seasonal Pillowcases
October 4, 2007
Though this idea isn’t new, it's bright, fresh, fun and inexpensive to make and mail. This week I made seasonal pillowcases to brighten Ande’s room in her apartment. I bought a yard of fabric, hemmed one end and then sewed three sides together. Happy October!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
What a sweet mom. I bet she loved just getting something sent from home. Cute!
Jenny :)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Homemaking Tip
October 3, 2007
What is your favorite Fall tradition? I’d love to hear what you do to celebrate Fall and I’ll post all of the ideas below for everyone to share. This could be my best post ever!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
- Decorating our house for fall/Halloween--Jill
- Going to the canyon to take pictures and experience being surrounded by fall--Jill
- Going to a pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins (no grocery store pumpkins for us!)--Jill
- Beef Stew and rolls for dinner followed by trick or treating every year with the our cousins--Jill
- My husband makes homemade applesauce. So good!--Nap
- I think my favorite fall tradition was harvesting the corn! We would get home after school, change into our play clothes, grab a snack and then sit on the front lawn waiting for the next truck to stop and pick us up. Then on the weekends my mom would make us a lunch and we would spend all day out in the truck with my dad, or my favorite the tractor with Grandpa! OH and I LOVE hot apple cider, so so yummy! It probably isn't good that literally across the street from my Apt. is a starbuck's, they have the BEST hot caramel apple cider, I even got my husband hooked on it, that probably wasn't good either, because now when I suggest it he doesn't stop me, he just agrees!!!! So yummy!--Tiffany
- Last year I tried to make a 'celebrate fall' day. Um.. I did not get the Martha Stewart gene. No news to you I'm sure, but every once in a while it takes my breath away by the sheer enormity of how badly it's lacking. I had planned Cali's fall leaves sugar cookies (although I couldn't find a leaf cookie cutter, only Halloween). I had planned on glittering some pumpkins and setting up a pretty little straw bale, wheel barrow and pumpkins outside. I had planned on setting up our measly store of indor decor, along with making candy apples. It was going to be one big jolly afternoon. We got two pumpkins glittered. One was done by two girls when they stopped by and the other one was done by Calder and Maddie. Whoa...major difference in turnout. The sugar cookies look a little funny when you use wheat flower, and burn them on top of that. I didn't even attempt frosting when I saw them...we'll just eat them for bread. The caramel apples are a little too gooey and crystalized, and the whole decoration thing outside just isn't even CLOSE to what I imagined.--Rachel
-
We love to invite over some friends for dinner in a pumpkin! it's fun to acutully use a big pumpkin for something other than jack-o-lanters that go to the trash.--Lisa
Recipe 1
Ingredients
1 medium Pumpkin
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1 lb. ground hot sausage
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 lg chopped onion
6 oz, boneless chicken
1 chopped green pepper
1 cup uncooked rice
1/2 pkg. chicken noodle soup mix
4 1/2 cup water
Instructions: Cut off the top of the pumpkin and thoroughly clean out the seeds and pulp.
Preheat the oven to 250F. Brown the sausage, breaking into small pieces as
it cooks. Drain grease and add onion, celery and green pepper. Cook a few
minutes. Add soup mix to boiling water and cook a few minutes. Combine all
ingredients and pour into the clean pumpkin shell. Replace pumpkin top and
place pumpkin on a baking sheet. Bake one hour or until pumpkin is tender,
stir once halfway through. Remove pumpkin lid and serve, scooping out some of the cooked pumpkin into each bowl.
Recipe 2
Med. sized pumpkin (4 lbs)
1-1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 (4-oz.) can mushrooms
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups cooked rice
Black olives
Steamed carrot
Whole cloves
Fresh parsley
Using a sharp knife, cut lid from pumpkin and scoop out pumpkin seeds and
excess membrane with a scraping tool. In a large skillet, combine ground
beef, chopped green pepper, chopped celery, and chopped onion and cook over
medium heat until ground beef is browned. Add next seven ingredients to
skillet. Mix well and place mixture into pumpkin cavity. Place lid on
pumpkin. Place pumpkin on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees
for 1-1/2 hours. Just before serving, embellish pumpkin by placing (with toothpicks) black
olives to make eyes, a steamed carrot to make a nose, and whole cloves to
make a mouth. Use fresh parsley leaves to make hair around like opening. To
serve, scoop out part of the baked pumpkin, along with the meat mixture,
onto each plate.
-
Pumpkin Dip
1 can pumpkin
1 tub cool whip(I use Light)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 pkg instant vanillapudding
Mix all the ingredients and serve with graham cracker sticks, ginger snaps, and green apple slices. Keep in fridge... if you have any left over. ;)--Totallyscrappy
-
-
But, next to the retreat, my favorite fall tradition is Apple Day. My sister’s family owns an orchard, so we all get together the first part of November each year to press apple cider, make applesauce and apple butter, fill freezer bags with apple pie filling, eat bowls of steaming chili with cornbread on the side, and catch up on all the happenings of my parents, brothers, and sister. It’s just the funnest time. Plus, all those pictures in the orchard with the pretty fall foliage, sometimes late apples still hanging on the trees, makes for great scrapbook pages, which brings me back to my other favorite fall tradition (see above). -Heather
(Heather...our Fall Retreat is great, isn't it? I can't wait for this year's retreat and to see what projects you're working on. Remember your frogs jumping out of the borders and onto the page lay-out? I was thinking of it yesterday as I was teaching about Moses and the plague of frogs in Egypt! That was a great lay-out.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
SPT
October 2, 2007
the baking aisle at the grocery store
Lelly’s Self-Portrait Tuesday challenge this week is how does your family “fall into autumn”? For us:
Autumn smells like
- skunk scent—Calvin loves to bow and rifle hunt and he uses skunk scent as a disguise, it lingers whenever he pulls it out
- dirt—I love the smell of the potatoes being harvested and the fields being plowed
- grapes—the smell of concord grapes fills the whole house when I bottle grape juice
- spices—cinnamon, vanilla, sage
Autumn looks like
- gold leaves—we try to get them off the lawn before the rain glues them to the ground
- sweaters—I dread shedding them in the spring and can’t wait to pull them out as soon as it’s cool
- squash—next to corn, which is next to potatoes, squash is my favorite vegetable
- grocery bargains—the stores have lots of deals on baking items
Autumn sounds like
- people yelling GO CHIEFS!—(our high school mascot) can there be Fall without football?
- rain smacking the ground
- school bells
- LDS General Conference
Autumn feels like
- relief—the garden and the yard die
- a party—with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas stacked on top of each other, it’s a time of gathering
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please send your comments to jp@neighborjanepayne.com Thanks! They’re always appreciated.
your post gave me chills as i read through it this morning. your description of Fall is everything i want it to look, smell, taste and feel like!! thanks again for a great response to the challenge, lelly
I couldn't think of a better way to describe fall! It gets me excited thinking about it (and you know I really don't like cold weather) Jenny :)
Great photo Jane and a clever idea. I'm not really a domestic goddess in the kitchen, but even I feel like baking in the fall. I love your fall-through-the senses take on this SPT. Jill
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Abe and Jeremy at an Army football game
Life in My World
October 1, 2007
Good news from the week:
- Army won their game.
- I found the battery charger for the camera underneath the car seat.
- I now have glasses with which I can see the back of the classroom and read—hooray for Benjamin Franklin and the bifocal.
- A roast is in the oven for supper tonight.
- Rain. Rain. Rain.
- I made cards last Thursday with Darla, Heather, Cynthia and many others and then promptly needed five of those cards in the next few days. Hooray for being prepared.
- There wasn’t too much ironing.
- We ordered tickets/hotel reservations for the All-Academy Ball in December and paid the bills.
- Calvin and I went to the Columbia River Temple
Not so good news:
- Didn’t exercise once.
- Bathroom still isn’t finished.
- Wasted the raspberries in the garden.
And that is the cliff notes version of life in my world!
|
